The Board of Governors Survey Workgroup sincerely thanks all who participated in the Board of Governors 2017 Annual Survey. We are pleased to announce a record response rate of 87 percent.

As you know, this is a very important requirement for all Governors as it allows us to gauge your opinion about pressing issues that affect all of us. It is also an excellent communication tool between Fellows, Governors, and Regents. You were asked to answer based on your personal opinion, which is EXTREMELY valuable and important.

In addition to the usual demographic questions, this year we wanted to get a sense of what Governors thought about four very relevant topics. As a sneak peak of the results, we have included a few word clouds based on the responses.

The Stop the Bleed Campaign

In response to the Sandy Hook and Boston Marathon tragedies, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has devoted significant efforts to improve survival from all causes of bleeding, including intentional mass casualties and everyday accidents. One of these programs is the Stop the Bleed campaign, which was launched by the White House in conjunction with The Hartford Consensus in October 2015.

The Opioid Crisis

The opioid epidemic is a crisis in the U.S. and is high on the radar screens of both politicians and the public. More than 50,000 Americans died in 2016 from drug overdoses. It is estimated that as many as 80 percent of heroin addicts used prescription narcotics.

Work-Related Injuries/Surgical Ergonomics

Surgery is an ever-changing field. With these changes and new techniques, surgeons are experiencing growing ergonomic injuries, some with devastating consequences.

Advanced Practice Providers in Surgery

With increased workloads and requirements for surgeons, Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) have become an integral part of the surgical health delivery system. The roles of APPs are likely to continue to grow in the future.

The survey produced intriguing results. We hope to see you at the Board of Governors meeting in San Diego where more will be revealed!